And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer: A Novella

Very well written, with dialogues that are easy to read but full of emotions. Anyone with a close relationship to grandparents should read it

And Everyday the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer’ is a novella about the love one man has for his son, grandson, and wife. The man is slowly slipping into a state of memory loss. His greatest fear is that he will soon not remember any of his most beloved memories. In a letter to the reader at the beginning of the story, Backman states,’This is a story about memories and letting go. It’s a love letter and a slow farewell between a man and his grandson, and between a dad and his boy.’ He also explains that writing this story was a type of therapy for him as he too has experience with a loved one with memory loss. As I began to read this story, I soon realized that this is both a similar and different type of story to Backman’s other works. It is similar in that it portrays an older person and their relationships. It is different in that the story line is not as straight forward as other Backman’s works. The story is told through the perspective of the grandfather who is sinking deeper into dementia. It switches between the grandfather speaking with his grandson, Noah, his son,Ted, and his wife who had previously passed away. His thought process is scattered but at the same time deeply symbolic. He likens his brain to a park square that gets smaller and smaller each day and the ‘way home’ is his process to remember details of his life each morning. He then explains that the objects in the park symbolize different memories. Although this was less of an easy read then I found Backman’s other books, to be, this book is just as amazing. It gives an honest look at how hard and complicated it must be to lose someone you love before they actually die. Backman does a wonderful job of panting a picture of someones mind as they are mentally slipping away. Another amazing read from Backman and a quick read as it’s only ninety-six pages. Backman has an amazing gift for writing characters that I makes me feel that I know them personally. This is one of those books that is a must read for all.

This novella touched me beyond belief. How beautifully written, how emotionally wrenching and yet true. This story just filled my heart with its love and beauty.

How Backman was able to write so well from the perspective of an old man with dementia, I’ll never understand. Very well written, very touching, and very worth the read. It’ll make you smile. It’ll make you cry. It’s ok. You’ll be very glad you read it. All my love and prayers to you, Mr. Backman. I hoped it helped you with your loss.

As always Backman speaks to me just what I need to hear. I loved this! Such a great way to look at life and death.

This is an accurate book about growing old and losing your mental capacities and as a sharp (thank you, Lord - so far) 83 year old, I found it very depressing

How do you say good-bye to someone who isn’t physically going anywhere? When you know you are going to lose your memory, what do you say to the people you love, those who are at the center of those memories? And when someone you love is likely not to remember you soon, what do you say right now that will mean something? This short, touching novella by the author of the bestseller A Man Called Ove is the story of three generations coming to terms with the loss of memory. It centers on conversations and shared experiences between a boy and his grandfather as they confront the fact that before long, there will be no shared memories as the grandfather progressively loses his. It also takes place partly in the grandfather’s mind, a place to which he retreats in order to dwell in his memories for a time. There is fear, there is anger, there is regret, and yet there is some hope at the edges of the sadness and foreboding. Not hope for a medical breakthrough or a miraculous turnaround, but hope in the resilience of love. “It’s an awful thing to miss someone who’s still here.” That’s Grandpa talking to his grandson Noah, encouraging him to “leave me and not look back. Live your life.” This should happen “once your good-bye is perfect.” In a way, that’s what he and Noah are doing: practicing and perfecting their good-bye, knowing that it will come before either of them is really ready, made all the more painful by the fact that they will still be able to see one another. “Are we here to learn how to say good-bye, Grandpa?” “Yes, Noahnoah. I’m afraid we are.” Perfect your good-byes. Express them with love every day. Because you never know. There is a lesson here that we would all do well to learn, given the swiftness with which our loved ones can be taken from us. Or the slowness.

I genuinely don’t even know how to put into words what this book did to me. I cried throughout the entire thing and then sat there crying for another 20 minutes after I finished. Watching him slowly forget everything around him, knowing that his mind was “shrinking,” was absolutely gut wrenching. But what broke me the most was Noah having to remind him of everything he loved and everything that mattered to him at the end. There was something so heartbreaking about watching someone slowly lose pieces of themselves while the people who love them desperately try to hold onto those pieces for them. This book hit incredibly close to home for me, and I think that’s why it affected me as deeply as it did. It’s short, but it carries so much love, grief, fear, and tenderness in such a small number of pages. I finished it completely speechless. Absolutely beautiful and devastating.

WOW! This has gone straight into my top 20 of the year and I am amazed because it's only 75 pages long, but it is a hard-hitting, emotional and for me a tear jerker of a read. Such beautifully written. Eye opening and a story that many readers themselves may have experienced or will do in the future. Perfection. I did tear up. A short read which won't take long to get through so perfect for those readers with busy lives or in a book slump. Has some beautiful illustrations throughout to accompany the story. Its a must read from me. Highly recommend. A well deserved five stars. Pop it onto your pile you won't regret it.

9月はわっしょい！バックマン祭り！ と言うのも新しい作品"Anxious People"が先日リリースされたばかりで本が到着するまでに他も読んでみようと色々選んだ中の1冊。 こちらは短編です。 カバーから見て取れるように「グランパと孫のノア君」をメインにお話しが進みます。ノア君のパパも出てきますが表紙のまま想像して良いと思います。お船にも意味があります。本の中にも可愛い挿し絵が2人に寄り添うように描かれています。 アルツハイマーのグランパ。頭の中に「スクエア」と言う場所があり、そこにはノア君にあげたオモチャがあったり、先に逝ってしまった愛しいグランマとも会話が出来ます。それにグランマが好きだったヒヤシンスの香りもいっぱいします。 ただ このスクエア(脳)がだんだんと小さくなり…本のタイトル通りお家(現実)に戻るまで/思い出すまでの距離がだんだんと長くなっていきます。昔は仕事一筋で息子に自転車の乗り方さえ教えなかったグランパ。変わり果てた父親の姿を見て息子(ノアパパ)は胸を痛めます。 内容はとてもシリアスで悲しいお話なのですが、そこはバックマン。ユーモアが加わり思わず笑ってしまう場面も。 ノア君はいつでもグランパを優しく包み温かい言葉をかけます。 うーっ！泣いてまうーっ！ たった80ページほどでこれだけを表現するって…がーさす！ 悲しいけど心あたたまる1冊です。

One of the best recent author ...this book is great, well written, makes me cry every time I read it. Fast delivery too

This book is so beautiful and in the simplest way. If you want your heart to melt in a puddle, this book is for you. It makes me cry everytime with just how beautiful it is. It's a story of a man and it takes place in his mind. He's slowly losing his memory. His grandson, Noah is sitting with him in his mind and it's a conversation between those two and instances of their lives. This description doesn't do justice to the book so please please just read this short gem of a book.

Fabulous writing.... Exciting and emotional book with plenty of humour